Television boost for domestic soccer

The new Monday Night Soccer programme broadcast for the first time this week on RTE promises to give a long overdue boost to the domestic game.

Every sport needs serious television backing if it is to succeed and while there has been progress in recent years, this is a big step forward in the promotion of the domestic game.

A lot of work has been put into the programme by RTE and the FAI and over the coming months it should help to generate a lot more interest in the eircom League of Ireland and, who knows, maybe even recruit a few of those Irish football fans who cannot see past the English club game.

Playing Safe

The GAA has been blessed in the past couple of decades by the quality of the men it has elected as its President, but the three candidates running for the post did not exactly cover themselves in glory.

All three — Christy Cooney, Liam O'Neill and Sean Fogarty — only entered the recent Cork saga when it was over. And then, they focused on criticising the use of Labour Relations chief Kieran Mulvey. They said that Mulvey's involvement ‘unionised' the crisis etc etc. It is a pity that if they held such views that they did not voice them at the time or make some contribution to help solve the issue.

Although, I suppose, with voting expected to be tight in the race to follow in the footsteps of Nickey Brennan, it was too much of a risk to get involved in that minefield.

Full House?

There are genuine hopes that Galway United's next home game with Shamrock Rovers on Saturday, March 29th, will be a sell-out. The game, which has been moved to avoid a clash with the Connacht-Munster game the previous evening, has been declared an all-ticket match.

Shamrock Rovers brought 500 supporters to their game in Drogheda and claim they could have sold twice that number if they are been allocated them.

This game on March 29th will be the first of the Galway United ‘Football Fundraisers' with Corofin United expected to bring a huge crowd to Terryland Park as part of the new scheme which will raise funds for both clubs.